A look at a beautiful old building in the East Village.
“Proper but gloomy” is how one architectural writer characterizes this Italianate brownstone building at 34 East 12th Street.
“Lovely and enchanting” might be a better description. For a long time, this 19th century beauty was covered up behind scaffolding and brown paint. Now that its facade is back in view, its history deserves a shout out too.
The building opened in 1855 as Grammar School 47. That makes it one of the oldest schoolhouses in the city, and it’s also a rare public school at the time that was reserved for girls only.
“In 1854, the year before Public School 47 was built, East 12th Street between Broadway and University Place consisted mainly of houses and stables,” according to the Landmarks Preservation Committee report, which designated it a landmark in 1998.
The city school board wanted to expand the number of schools, especially for girls. “It was the Board’s…
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